Colleges hope to fill void

Author(s):

Dan Duggan

Local college basketball coaches are engaged in a constant struggle to attract attention to their programs. They could be getting a major assist this season from the NBA.

With the professional league announcing Monday that it has canceled the first two weeks of the regular season — and more games likely to follow — the door is open for college teams to gain fans seeking their basketball fix.

“I think it’s going to help a lot of different sports and hopefully we can be one of the beneficiaries,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said yesterday. “Although I would love to see the NBA season, given how things are shaping up it could be something that college basketball could benefit from. With how popular and great the Celtics have been, not to have part of their season, maybe it will be an opportunity for college basketball to gain some traction and momentum.”

Amaker made those comments yesterday at Boston University during the inaugural Massachusetts college basketball media day, which featured the head coaches and players from the six Division 1 programs in the state. The fact that such an event exists demonstrates the desire to increase exposure for college basketball in a state dominated by pro sports.

All of the coaches were in agreement that the NBA lockout will have a positive impact on the college game. New BU coach Joe Jones, who was at Columbia from 2003-10, joked that he’s doing his part to extend the lockout.

“(NBA commissioner) David Stern was the former head of trustees at Columbia, so I’m trying to tell him to keep that lockout going,” Jones said. “Give us a chance to get some of those NBA fans to some of our games. No question for someone that loves the game of basketball and is really into the NBA scene, hopefully we can bring some of those fans here.”

As much as the lockout could benefit the college game, no one is rooting for the NBA to miss extended time.

“We’ve got to get this fixed soon,” Harvard senior guard Oliver McNally said. “It (stinks). We’re all big basketball fans. I’m pretty disappointed I’m not going to be able to see these guys play in games.”

In the meantime, the local college teams are prepared to enjoy a greater spotlight.

“It’s really an unbelievable opportunity to get attention like this onto your program because I think it helps in so many ways,” Jones said. “It helps with the spirit of your team, it helps with admissions and it helps with our guys feeling good about their experience.”